


A Little Bumblebee

by arcus_theta



Series: Arcus' Optiratch Drabbles [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Conjunx Endura, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, Transformer Sparklings, Wholesome, i just wanted to write this stupid fic, it's just cuteness okay, ratchet and optimus are dads, sparkling!bumblebee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcus_theta/pseuds/arcus_theta
Summary: On a solo mission searching for survivors of a crashed transporter ship, Optimus Prime finds a small surprise in the wreckage.Just some silly wholesome stuff with the gay robot dads and their son.
Relationships: Bumblebee & Optimus Prime, Optimus Prime/Ratchet
Series: Arcus' Optiratch Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977616
Comments: 8
Kudos: 141





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> uhh yeah this is my first fic,,,,, soooo,,,, sorry for anything stupid or whatever
> 
> definitions for anyone who needs them:
> 
> \- alt-mode; a cybertronian's vehicle form  
> \- cycle; about 1 hour 15 minutes  
> \- kliks; roughly 1 kilometer  
> \- half-cycle; about 37 minutes  
> \- nano-cycle; around 6 minutes  
> \- conjunx; the cybertronian version of a husband or wife

When Optimus Prime had been informed that a distress signal from a transport ship had been picked up by their base's sensors, he jumped at the chance to volunteer himself for the rescue mission.

Although confused, the other mechs allowed him to go on, what was, to them, basically a pointless mission.

“Why?” They had asked, “Why would a Prime waste his time on such a menial task?”

To Optimus, the answer was simple.

He has seen so much death and suffering. He had sent so many fellow autobots into battle, with the promise that he would lead them, only for them to die, with no way for him to save them.

Jazz had told him, after the first battle of the war, that he must learn to not mourn every single soldier. 

But, even after all this time, he was unable to follow that advice.

The only thing he could see when he closed his optics to recharge was the broken bodies of his comrades and friends.

He could see every detail vividly. The bent joints. The torn metal. The dead optics. The spilled energon.

If there was any chance of him helping, of saving other autobots, he would gladly take it.

The crash wasn’t far from their base, it would take him only one cycle to reach it in his alt-mode.

As he got close, about three kliks away from the coordinates, he began to see the column of black smoke rising above the hills he was driving through.

Optimus took a detour off his route and climbed to the top of one such hill to get a better look at the wreck.

His tanks churned as he looked upon the downed ship.

It was mangled beyond repair, with its back half torn off and missing.

The distress call had said that the transporter had been moving large quantities of energon, as well as many civilians who had displaced by the recent bombings in many populated areas.

It seemed as if the Decepticons had taken the opportunity to attack and attempt to take the energon for themselves.

As Optimus moved closer to the gigantic ship, it became clear that the Decepticons were unsuccessful.

The damage to the back half was consistent to an explosion caused by energon, which most likely meant that the Decepticons had, in the heat of battle, accidentally blown up what they had tried to secure.

He felt a familiar sinking in his tanks once more when he realized that this particular kind of transport ship was built with the passenger area directly over the hold.

Anyone inside would have been blown into scrap or jettisoned out into space.

And the front of the ship hadn’t fared much better.

Optimus was close enough to smell the burning metal now, and he could see the full extent of the damage.

The remaining parts of the hull were split in half from the crash landing, and most of the larger half was on fire. Optimus knew he wouldn’t be able to get in, much less save anyone who had the misfortune to get trapped in the larger piece.

He moved past it, and into the other, smaller and less unstable segment of the transport ship.

This segment had fallen at a strange angle, and Optimus found himself walking along what would have been the walls of the corridor he was exploring.

\------------

His search for survivors continued for the next four cycles, until he was sure he had explored all of the broken ship he could.

But he had only found mangled corpses.

The feeling of failure in his mission burned deep inside Optimus, even though he knew that there was little he could have done to change the outcome of the situation.

The command center had been checking in every half-cycle since he had reported that he had entered the wreck. And now they were suggesting that he return to base.

They couldn’t order him to do so, he was the Prime and their commander after all, but as much as Optimus wanted to continue to search, he knew that they were right. Night would fall soon, and it would be hard for him to return to base. And if he stayed overnight, he ran the risk of running out of energon before getting back.

He confirmed with base that he would be heading back now, and that, no, he hadn’t managed to find anyone or anything.

Optimus let out a loud vent, and turned to retrace his steps out of the maze of destruction.

About ten minicons later, he was almost to the entrance when he heard a light clanging and rustling behind him.

Spinning around with a kind of excitement at the prospect of helping someone, he noticed the sounds were coming from a pile of scrap at the end of the tunnel he was standing in.

_ Perhaps some kind of minicon?  _ He thought, observing the trembling pile.

He began to walk towards the scrap, making sure to step lightly, as to not scare whatever was hiding beneath the pile with his heavy pede steps.

He kneeled down gently in front of the small heap of broken paneling and wires, ensuring that he made barely any sound.

Optimus moved his servo slowly onto the first piece and gently picked it up and moved it.

_ The last thing I wish to do is injure whatever is hiding under here. _

He continued to move scrap gently, pausing whenever the pile would move and shiver slightly.

_ I do worry however, that this entity, whatever it may be, is hurt. I have a first-aid kit, but if the injuries are severe, I won’t be able to do much. With something this small, and a landing this severe, it would be very likely that whatever this is sustained damage. _

He reached for the last piece of metal, and moved it away to reveal a yellow and extremely small sparkling curled up on the floor.

It took Optimus a whole nano-cycle to get over the shock of what he was seeing. And once he did, he scooped up the little yellow sparkling, making sure that it was okay

_ Miraculously _ , Optimus noted,  _ he has no visible injuries, but I need to take him to a medic to make sure he hasn’t sustained any internal injuries. _

The little sparkling had stopped shaking, but had yet to open it’s optics, which worried Optimus. That and the fact that the sparkling was so small that it fit in one of his servos.

_ Sparklings are supposed to be small, obviously, but with how defined his features are, there’s no way he should be this little. He must have been suffering from severe energon depletion. _

Optimus placed the little sparkling into his other servo as he stood up.

_ I suppose that makes sense, if his sire and carrier were refugees, they wouldn’t have much access to, well, anything, really. _

The sparkling moved slightly, nuzzling into Optimus’ servo as he exited the ship.

He glanced down at the sparkling as he walked away from the wreck, taking note of it’s features.

The sparkling had a round face that was large compared to the rest of it’s tiny body. The ends of his forearms were slightly pointy, and so were the ends of his knee joints. Optimus could see a bit of his back, and that he had tiny winglets.

_ Normally, at this stage of development, you might be able to predict what kind of frame and alt-mode the sparkling will have, but he’s so malnourished and small, that I have no idea. _

Optimus was realizing now that a trip which had taken him only one cycle before hand, would now take closer to four, because while carrying the sparkling, he couldn’t transform.

_ I should head to Iacon instead of our base,  _ Optimus thought.  _ It’s only three cycles away on pede, and much safer than any outpost. _

_ There’ll be mechs who specialize in sparkling treatment, and there’s a slim possibility I can hand him off to a sparkling care center. _

Ever since the start of the war, the centers had been overflowing with sparklings for many different reasons. Those who didn’t want to keep them, people who found abandoned ones in the streets, and orphaned ones like the one in his servos. They didn’t have enough space to take them all, so the centers had to start turning people away.

It was horrible, but it was a sad reality of the war. Most of the sparklings who were turned away ended up dying on the streets.

Optimus knew that there was no real possibility of a center having any room for the little sparkling, and if he ordered that they take him, which would be an abuse of his power as a prime, all they would do is abandon another sparkling in his place. And he didn’t want that, he had set out today to save lives, not trade them.

Although, this left him with a rather large problem. What was he actually going to do with the sparkling?

He supposed he could simply ask around, it was a possibility that a friend wanted to adopt one. An extremely slim possibility, considering that he didn’t really have that many friends, and most of them were currently serving in the military with him.

As Optimus was racking his processor, trying to come up with a solution, the sparkling took this as the perfect time to finally wake up.

Optimus didn’t even notice the sparklings newly found consciousness at first, only glancing down when it began to squirm in his servos.

His optics met large round blue ones, and they held each other’s gaze for several seconds before the little sparkling decided to nestle more into Optimus’ servo and hug onto his thumb, before falling into recharge again.

_ Or, _ thought Optimus, who was now smiling at the little yellow sparkling involuntarily,  _ maybe, I could take care of him. _

_ I’ve always thought about wanting a sparkling before, and he really needs someone to help him… _

Optimus found himself thinking about having a family like that, which was something he had always wanted, but had assumed that he would have to wait for until after the war was over.

_ Maybe this can all work out, and we can be a family. Just you, me, and- _

“Oh Primus,” Optimus muttered, “How on Cybertron am I going to explain this to my Conjunx?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> defs for anyone who needs it:
> 
> \- nano-cycle; around 6 minutes  
> \- nanoklik; about 2 seconds  
> \- conjunx; the cybertronian version of a husband or wife

After being assured multiple times that,  _ no _ , the little sparkling did not have any kind or internal injury or rare disease, Optimus began to head towards his apartment.

Well, it wasn’t really his. He hadn’t stayed there in months, and he and Ratchet had only kept it because Ratchet was still working as a medic in Iacon.

_ Speaking of Ratchet,  _ he thought,  _ I have no idea how I’m going to possibly explain to him why the first time I come home in three months I’m also bringing a sparkling with me. _

He glanced down at the little one. He hadn’t woken up again all through the check-ups, and although the medics had assured him that it was perfectly normal for a sparkling his age, especially one as small as him, Optimus still was worried.

_ I suppose it doesn’t make much sense to keep on referring to him as “the sparkling.” I should pick out a designation for him. _

Optimus’ processor was running through common designations and others that had stuck in his memory banks. None of them seemed to fit the little sparkling.

_ I’d like to pick something unique, that fits his appearance as well. _

He flashed back to a data pad he’d read about planets with organic life, and to one planet he had been fascinated with. He had proceeded to do some indepth research on the plants and animals the planet was populated with.

One name of an animal stood out to Optimus.

_ Bumblebee. A small, mainly yellow, insect, with small wings on it backside. Much like this little one here. _

He peered down at the little sparkling.

“Bumblebee?” He asked. “How do you feel about Bumblebee?”

Bumblebee’s winglets twitched slightly in his sleep, almost as if in approval.

Optimus chuckled, “It’s good that I at least have a designation for you, little Bumblebee.”

His comlink beeped suddenly, and Optimus stopped walking.

::This is Optimus Prime, reporting in.::

::Optimus Prime, why have you not yet returned to base?::

_ Slag,  _ Optimus thought,  _ I forgot to update comand on my location. _

::I located a civilian survivor in the wreckage and am relocating him to Iacon::

::Was he unable to travel without assistance?::

::Yes, I suppose so.::

That was the truth, a sparkling couldn't make its own way to Iacon.

::Was the survivor injured in the crash?::

::No, he wasn’t.::

::Then why wasn’t he able to travel to Iacon?::

::The survivor is quite young, and unable to make the journey.::

::Finish relocating the civilian and please return to base.::

::Understood.::

Optimus cut his comm, and sighed, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to stay for as long as he wished.

Perhaps he could finally use some of his days off.

\------------

It took him two more nano-cycles to reach his apartment.

It was a modest dwelling, not a place you expect a Prime to stay, and most unlike the other buildings in Iacon.

While Iacon was no Crystal City, it was still quite lavish. Large buildings laced with gold and silver plating and expensive decorative lighting occupied its streets.

In contrast with that, his and Ratchet’s apartment was located on the outskirts of the city. While still beautiful, the buildings were just more plain. Uniform grey and white rectangular shapes with little to no decoration.

But Optimus liked it better that way anyway.

As he walked up the steps, he kept trying to figure out how to inform his conjunx.

Sure, Ratchet had always expressed that he had wanted a sparkling as well, but this was very sudden, and he wasn’t sure his mate would approve.

He made his way to the stairwell and then up it.

He did really like Bumblebee, and he wanted to keep him. Even though he was nervous about taking care of a child during wartime, he still really wanted to have a proper family.

He opened the door to their shared apartment, took a few steps in.

“Ratchet?” He called into the darkened space.

“Optimus?” Responded his conjunx’s voice, “Is that you?”

He heard loud pede steps as Ratchet walked down the hallway and appeared into the living room.

“How are you here?” He asked, “Aren’t you still on duty for the next month?”

“I would have thought you’d be happy to see me,” joked Optimus.

Ratchet rolled his optics, “I am happy to see you, but I also want to know why I’m seeing you.”

“I am on duty, but an-” Optimus began, before being cut off by Ratchet, who had just seen Bumblebee.

“Optimus, what on  _ Cybertron  _ is that???” Ratchet asked, crossing his arms.

“His name is Bumblebee, Ratchet. And he’s part of the reason I’m here.”

“He’s… a sparkling?”

“Yes, I was on a mission to search for survivors in a shipwreck, and I found him.”

“Okay, that explains where he came from, but why is he  _ currently  _ in your servos and in our living room?”

Optimus shifted his weight slightly. “Ratchet,” he began, “You know that all of the sparkling care centers have been full since the beginning of the war. If I turn him over, he’ll just end up back on the streets again.”

He paused for a nanoklik, gathering his thoughts to explain in the best way possible that he wanted to adopt Bumblebee.

“The best course of action, to insure his safety, is that we take care of him, for the time being.”

There was silence for a few nanokilks, before Ratchet opened his intake.

“Optimus,” he began, “have you lost your  _ fragging mind _ !?!”

“You and I have always wanted a sparkling!” 

“Yes, but not in the middle of a slagging war!”

“It’s not an ideal situation, but I don’t control when a sparkling will need our help.”

“Even if I wanted to do this, how would we even manage it?!?” Ratchet started to pace around their living room. “You’re a Prime, who’s stationed away from Iacon, by the way! I’m a medic, and with the way this war is going, that’s a full time job!”

“I could put in a transfer to be positioned in Iacon, we could line up our schedules, and we could try and make it work,” Optimus said calmly.

“This is ridiculous! I- you- this is just-!”

“Ratchet.” Optimus reached out and placed his servo lightly on Ratchet’s arm, stopping him from pacing. “If you really are nervous about this, we can try to take care of him for a week or two and see if it’s too much for us to handle.”

Ratchet seemed to relax slightly, and Optimus could tell that he was considering it.

“If we can’t handle taking care of Bumblebee, for any of the reasons you mentioned,” he continued, “I will reach out to friends and centers and see if anyone is available to take him.”

“I… suppose that we could try… something like that,” Ratchet said, sounding hesitant.

_ Hopefully, by the end of the test period, Ratchet will feel comfortable enough that we can keep Bumblebee. _

“I’m glad we came to an agreement,” Optimus said, grinning.

“Now,” he said, walking to their spare berth room, “Let’s see if we can turn this into a temporary nursery.”

\------------

After the two weeks passed, Optimus didn’t really feel the need to ask Ratchet if he wanted to keep Bumblebee.

It wasn’t that he didn’t value the other’s opinion on the matter, but that he already knew Ratchet’s answer.

And, sure, the medic liked to act grumpy and as if having Bumblebee around their house was the worst thing in the world, but the pictures Optimus had of Ratchet letting Bumblebee sleep in his servos when he thought Optimus wasn’t looking proved that wrong.

And even though Optimus told Ratchet that Bumblebee had no chance of being able to even slightly understand Ratchet’s extremely complex medical diagrams, Ratchet would still place the sparkling on his shoulder or in his servo and read the terms out to him.

Though he couldn’t make fun of Ratchet for that, as he often did the same, reading ancient historical texts to Bumblebee whenever the little mech interrupted his reading.

Besides, they had worked really hard on Bumblebee’s nursery, Ratchet had told him. And he wasn’t opposed to keeping the sparkling because he  _ liked him _ , no, it was just because all the effort they had put into his stuff in the last two weeks would be wasted.

Whether or not Ratchet would admit it, they had both grown very close with Bumblebee, and the idea of giving him up would have depressed both of them.

And maybe, just maybe, they could be a proper family together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay,,,,, it's done! hope yall enjoyed this short fic!
> 
> hit me up at @shuiro_art on insta


End file.
